Chinese Citizens' Right to Sue Former Director Jiang Should Be Protected

June 25, 2015
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By Fei Ming

(Minghui.org) Chinese citizens are now exercising their legal right to hold former dictator Jiang Zemin accountable for the persecution of Falun Gong.

A new policy that came into effect on May 1, 2015 stated that the Supreme People's Court will guarantee the registration and processing of all criminal and civil complaints. The policy encouraged thousands of Falun Gong practitioners and several of their family members to file lawsuits, despite the ongoing persecution in China.

The right to sue any state organ or officer for criminal acts and dereliction of duty is protected by the Chinese Constitution. Depriving a citizen of this right is a violation of law.

However, Minghui has received several reports of citizens being being illegally arrested for exercising this right.

For example, on June 13, 2015, officers from several police departments in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province arrested six Falun Gong practitioners who had filed criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin: Zhong Chongbin (仲崇斌), Yuan Chunli (袁春丽), Zhong Jinjun (仲进军), Yao Xingying (姚兴英), Xu Ruhua (徐如花), and Xu Longbiao (徐龙彪). The latter three practitioners had been released at the time of writing.

Falun Gong practitioners adhere to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They inform people about the persecution in China, which is otherwise covered up by propaganda from its perpetrator–the communist regime.

There is nothing wrong with citizens' exercising their freedom of expression. Yet, they have been subjected to brutal persecution and torture under the direction of Jiang and his cohorts for 16 years. Thousands of practitioners have been tortured, and many have been killed. The use of violence against practitioners is for the single purpose of forcing them to abandon their belief.

The practitioners are using these lawsuits as another peaceful way to resist the persecution. They are suing Jiang for his crimes of torture and genocide. The Lianyungang police should immediately release the remaining three practitioners.

The highest courts should adhere to the new policy of registering all cases, indict Jiang Zemin, and sentence him justly under appropriate Chinese and international laws.